Thursday, October 8, 2009

The other night Matt & I were watching Diners, Drive-ins & Dives about an old-school Italian American restaurant outside of Minneapolis. We both sat there almost salivating over the baked pasta dishes topped with brown bubbling cheese. Well, I knew I had to make a version at home for us that weekend.This dish certainly hit the spot & we were happy to use a lot of handmade ingredients in it. The Italian sausage Matt makes himself and both the tomato sauce & tomato paste were canned from tomatoes in our garden this summer. You could certainly leave the sausage out of this dish & make it vegetarian but we really like the flavor it adds.

This dish is so simple & basic I almost didn't post it here but it was such a tasty, satisfying dish I decided it was worth sharing. It's wonderful reheated the next day for lunch too.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet until cooked. Add the onions & garlic & cook until the onions are tender. Stir in the tomato sauce. If your sauce is a little thin add the tomato paste. Stir in the drained pasta.

Grease a 6 x 8 baking dish with olive oil. Pour in half of the pasta mixture. Top with half the mozzarella. Add the remaining pasta mixture. Top with the rest of the mozzarella & some grated parmesan or romano. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the cheese on top is melted & golden brown. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.